Coin-controlled locking mechanism.



PATENTED MAY 26 1903.

\W. H. SCOTT.

COIN GONTRGLLED LOCKING MECHANISM.-

` APPLIoATIoN FILED AUG. 11, 1902.

N0 MODEL` -l Y r/672W' vw: Noms pasas co., Pauw-mmc.. wAs-Nmnmn, n, n.

3 5 apparatus.

UNITED STATES Patented May 26, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. SCOTT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE CONTROLLER COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

COIN-CONTROLLED LOCKING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,995, dated May 26, 1903.

Application filed August l l, 19 02 T all whom it may concern/.f

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. SCOTT, a citizenof the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Coin-Controlled Locking'Mechanisms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as -will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and io use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an elevation showing the easing in section, the operating parts being shown i5 in locking position in full lines and in unlocking position in heavy dotted lines, the light dotted lines showing the position of the coin and the locking-lever after the coin has been inserted and before the receiver has been zo lifted from the suspension-hook. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 8 is a plan view on line 3 3, Fig. 1, the casing being shown in section. Fig. 4 is a view of the character of Fig. l and illustrating a modification, the parts being z5 shown in locking position in full lines and in unlocking position in dotted lines; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View illustrating a further modification.

My invention relates to coin-controlled 3o locking mechanisms, and more particularly to telephone-locks of the character indicated, my object being to provide an efficient construction which can be cheaply manufactured and to reduce friction in the operation of th To these ends, and also to improve generally upon devices of the character indicated, my invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, l indicates a telephone-box, which can be of any suitable construction, and 2 represents the customary suspension-hook for the telephone-receiver 3. A box or casi-ng 4 4l; is secured to the wall or other suitable support to extend at the side of said telephonebox in such manner that the hereinafter-described locking plate or disk lies over said suspension-hook, said casing containing the Serial No. 119,283. (No model.)

hereinafter-mentioned locking mechanism and being provided with acoin-raceway 6. A suitable wall of the casing is providedwith a sl'ot 7,thro ugh which a locking plate or disk S can project,said plate or disk being prevented from passing com pletely through the said slot in any appropriate manner. In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the casing is provided with an overhanging lip 9 in the path of movement of the locking-disk, the length of the slot 7 thus being less than the diameter of the said disk. The side walls 10 of the casing, the top wall 11 thereof, and a guiding-wall'lz?. upon the side of the disk opposite the said wall l1 lie upon four sides of the locking-disk and thus guide the same in its movement, the said guiding-Wall 12 being' either vertical or inclined toward said slot, so that the said locking-disk tends to fall into locking position by reason of its own weight. Pivoted intermediate said locking-disk and the discharge end of the raceway 6 is a locking-lever 13, which has a locking-arm 14 extending from one side of its pivot and a coinreceiving arm 15 extending from the other side thereof and projecting under the discharge end of the raceway in such position that it lies in the path of an inserted coin. Astop-arm 16 is also included in the said lever and so extends therefrom that when the lever is rocked upon its pivot its fr'ee end passes through an opening 17 in the guiding-wall12 and engages the periphery 'of the lockingdisk 8. The locking-disk normally falls into locking position by reason of its own weight, and the locking-arm 14 of the locking-lever overbalances the other arms thereof, so -that said levernormally lies in locking position with its locking-arm intermediate its pivot and the locking-disk and itscoin-receiving arm below the raceway, al1 as shown in full lines in Fig. l.. The receiver suspensionhook 2 lies against the periphery of the lock ing-disk 8, and such hook is therefore locked against upwardmovement. When a coin is inserted in the raceway 6, it drops upon the coin-receiving arm 15 of the locking-lever and throws the lever into such position that the locking-arm 14 is carried out of locking position with relation to the disk 8, this movement of the locking-lever being limited by reason of engagement of the stop-arm 16 against the periphery of the locking-disk 8 and such engagement taking place before the locking-lever has moved sufficiently to permit the deposited coin A to pass from the raceway 6. The locking-disk is now free to be moved, and as soon as the receiver is lifted from the suspension-hook the usual spring connected to the said hook forces the same upwardly and throws the locking-disk inwardly, as shown by the light dotted lines in Fig. 1, and as said disk moves inwardly it passes beyond the end lof the stop-arm 16, and thus permits the deposited coin to move th'e locking-lever sufficiently to allow the coin to'be discharged. When the receiver is again placedupon the suspension -hook, said hook falls, and the support bei-ng thusremoved from under the locking-disk S'said disk` falls into locking position, and thus permits the locking-lever 13 to return to normal position, the overbalancing arm 14 having rested upon the disk S during the time that the parts were in unlocking position. The stop-arm 1G and the locking-arm 14 of the locking-lever extend about the inner side of the disk 8 when the parts are in unlocking position, and thus coperate with the Walls 10, l1, and 12 to form a pocket within which the locking-disk is confined.

The locking-plate 8 can of course be of any suitable shape; but I 'prefer to employ a disk, as under the lifting action of the receiver suspension-hook such disk can roll along the guiding-wal1l2,and friction between the locking-plate and its guiding member is thus avoided.

The device is extremely simple in its construction, and the locking-lever is the only part which has to be fastened upon the casing, the locking disk or plate 8 being merely dropped into its raceway between walls 10, 11, and 12.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 4 I have shown the walls 10a, 11, and 12a arranged to produce a vertical raceway for the locking-plate 8, the remaining parts of the device being constructed in substantially the same manner as shown in Fig. 1. In this construction the raceway for the locking plate or disk and the slot through the wall of the casing are sufficiently wide to permit passage of the said lockingplate,and the plate is prevented from dropping from the said raceway by means of pins 18 across the ends of the` slot.

lIn Fig. 5 I have shown a vertically-movable locking-plate 8a, provided with a slot 19, through which a guide-pin 2O extends, said pin serving to prevent the locking-plate from falling from the casing.

I am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, and combination of.

the several parts of my device may be made and substituted for those herein shown aud described without in the least depart-ing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a casing having a raceway open at its inner end, a locking member freely movable in said raceway, a pivoted locking-lever at the inner end of said raceway and having a locking-arm adapted to coperate with said locking member and a stop-arm which lies at the side of and away from said locking member when said lever is in locking position and is adapted to engage said locking member to limit the pivotal movement of said lever when said lever is rocked from locking position, the arms of said lever extending across and closing the free end of said raceway when said lever is in unlocking position, and means for causing a deposited coin to rock said lever from locking position, the stop-arm-arresting portion of said locking member having movement to carry the same out of stop-arm-arresting position; substantially as described.

2. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a casing having a raceway open at its inner end and provided with a side wall having an opening therethrough, a locking meinber movable in said raceway, a pivoted locking-lever at the inner end of said raceway and having a locking-arm adapted to coperate with said locking member and a stop -arm which lies at the side of and away from said locking member when said lever is in locking position and is adapted to move through said wall-opening and engage said locking member to limit the pivotal movement of said lever when said lever is rocked from locking position, the arms of said lever extending across and closing the free end of said raceway when said lever is .in unlocking position, and means for causing a deposited coin to rock said lever from locking position, the stoparm-arresting portion of said locking member having movement to carry the same out of stop-arm-arresting position; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 9th day of August, 1902.

WILLIAM H. SCOTT.

Witnesses:

GALES P. MOORE, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

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